Queens NY in the 80s

 Settings in my fiction work confound me. 

I feel as if I can never do them justice. A friend of mine, Jennifer Gracen, writes romance and paints such vivid settings, you can feel yourself being transported into the story. 

I’m going to try and do justice to Queens NY in the 80s. 

I was a shy kid, handful of friends. There was no social media, no cell phones, and the internet was still just a handful of supercomputers at the government level. There wasn’t a lot to actually do unless you had a car or money. 

I didn’t have either. 

So we did a lot of planning. Movie nights. A group dinner at an inexpensive chain restaurant. Beach trips. If someone in the friends circle had a backyard, jackpot! That was how we rolled. Where we ended up prescribed the rest of our scene. 

Beach trips were one of my favorite things to do. Long Island has dozens of gorgeous beaches to visit. Jones Beach was a popular place and there was a bus from Queens to get you there. 

Suits on under a summer outfit of shorts and a tank top,we’d pack a bag that contained Ban d’soleil suntan oil with spf 2 , a bottle of Sun-In spray for our hair to lighten, a few snacks that nearly always meant a can of Tab. Extra money, so we could buy Chipwiches from the guy with the cooler. A boombox or maybe a Walkman because you needed your tunes. WLIR was hot! 

Eurythmics, Thomas Dolby, Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins, ABP, Hall and Oats, U2, Bon Jovi, The B52s- we could listen to their songs for hours! 

Rock Lobster could get people dancing or throwing their trash at you-either way. 

Hair up in banana clips, you’d wade into the water where chances were high someone would pretend to see a shark and hum the Jaws theme like they were the first person to ever think of it. 

Back on the sand, you’d coat yourself in that coconut scented oil to bake, spray in that lemon scented lightener so by the time you got home, you’d still smell like a pina colada and glow in the dark from the sun’s effects.  

If a cute guy walked by wearing denim cutoffs, you’d sit up straight, pretend you didn’t notice, and keep rubbing on more oil .  Spoiler alert- you noticed. 

We didn’t talk about Presidents acting like morons because that news wasn’t in your face. We didn’t know what was happening across the world or even across the state unless we looked for news. Mainstream media was independent back then. We could trust Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. Fox News wasn’t a thing yet. Our Fox station was still WNEW-TV. So, we talked about things like boys, Flowers In the Attic, Luke and Laura or Jenny and Greg. Who shot JR? We planned which of the 3 major networks we wanted to watch that night when we got home. ABC’s lineup was The Love Boat and then Fantasy Island- switch to CBS for Carol Burnett. 

At the end of our day, we’d head to the locker room and shower off the sun and sand. A throng of young girls practiced ways to get their permed hair to freeze upright or tied it back in a banana clip, and roll on a coat of Kissing Potion. My favorite was the bubble gum flavor. A cloud of Jhirmack hairspray hung in the air. If you felt extra fancy, you’d add a beaded headband or bandana around your forehead. 

I miss the 80s, miss being a teenager with a body that doesn’t hurt every day, miss being someone with more years ahead than behind them. 

What do you miss? Tell me in the comments!